Tag: exploration

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Another Year Gone By

When I was a kid, my year would begin and end around the school calendar – essentially September to June. Summertime was a delightful escape CoupleBicycleNZfrom the rituals of academia with lots of time to sleep late and do other things – or simply just do nothing.

I’ve been out of school a long time, but my annual calendar still seems to revolve around the “academic” year, with summers still spent relaxing and playing. As I enter into yet another year on this planet as my birthday approaches next week, I realize just how important it is to take time to simply relax and play. As a creative being, it is not only important to “play“– it is critical.

As I look back on the many years that have ticked by, I am profoundly grateful for the many blessings and people in my life who have made it a life well lived. My memory fails me at times but what I do consistently recall are all the little moments of laughter and levity. I have not amassed a fortune, but I have been very comfortable and never left wanting. But I realize that I have had a rich life indeed and the best times have always included experiences near and far with people who have entered into my life – sometimes for a moment – sometimes for the long haul.

I suppose you could say that my spirit has never aged and it is still as playful as it has always been. When I’m at my most creative, my spirit is shining through. It’s not hampered by self-doubts, fear or uncertainty. My spirit is forever curious and is always exploring. Rather than being fearful of what’s around the next corner, I am excited at the prospects of opening myself up to new ideas, places and people. It’s all those experiences and relationships that make up a life worth living.

So, as I face the start of another year, I look back at the smiles and laughs as well as the tears that I have encountered on my journey and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

 

 

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Staying Outside The “box”

A friend of mine recently reminded me that I have said that I like to stay outside the “box”.  That I have spent much of my career trying not to be categorized or pigeon holed into one specialty of photography.  Perhaps not the greatest business decision, but nevertheless a series of mini decisions to continually depart from whatever my norm is or has been.

Even as a child I discovered early on that I wanted to explore – in the broadest sense of the word.  I surely did that in my days right out of high school and college when I embarked on a year long backpacking odyssey across half the globe.

Mooney, Peace Hotel, Shanghai, China 1983
Mooney, Peace Hotel, Shanghai, China 1983

But it was after that sojourn that I pursued a career in photography to facilitate a somewhat vagabond life.  And that I did combining a photographic career with my quest for discovering people and cultures. I ‘ve been  fortunate over the years to have garnered assignments from high profile magazines like National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian and Travel & Leisure.  And I loved the path that I had chosen.

It was about ten years ago that my restlessness pushed me into the medium of video.  Technology was making it possible and affordable for me to shoot my “stories” in this medium with sound and motion.  But I was more focused on adding those new dimensions to “the story” rather than on the “tools” itself. Getting into video proved to be a great move, certainly a good business move as society has gravitated more toward the web.

So in my desire to live a life “outside the box”, I’ve come full circle and realize that “decision” has not only been “good” for  business – it’s led to a very interesting and rewarding way to live life.

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